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Stormers player ratings vs Lions | 2025/26 URC
By Josh Raisey
Stormers player ratings: The Stormers maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 34-27 victory over the Lions in the United Rugby Championship on Saturday.
The hosts may have extended their unbeaten run at the Cape Town Stadium, but they were made to work, and went in at half time trailing 17-10.
But Stormers director of rugby John Dobson unleashed his entire replacement pack shortly after the break, and their Bomb Squad helped them pull away in the second half, though they were never comfortable.
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This was not a performance brimming with top performances, though, and these player ratings indicate that.
Here’s how the Stormers players rated:
15. Warrick Gelant – 8
Got his side going with a perfectly weighted long pass, which put Dylan Maart in for his try. A vital intervention after seeing very little action. Came to the fore soon after with a tackle on SJ Kotze to force a knock-on over the line. His vision and willingness to counter-attack kept defences honest, but he was charged down in the second half, which led to a Lions try.
14. Dylan Maart – 7.5
Registered the first points for his side after a quiet opening quarter, with his acceleration proving just too much for the Lions defence. Didn’t see too much of the ball, but looked lethal when it went his way. Slightly suspect defensively, slipping off a few tackles.
13. Wandisile Simelane – 7
Scored the opening try of the second half to level the scores, and carried with real intent, testing the line whenever he had space. There were some errors in his performance, but strong.
12. Jonathan Roche – 7.5
Solid in contact but ill-disciplined defensively early on. Brought structure to the midfield and allowed those around him to play with confidence. Saw a lot of action.
11. Leolin Zas – 6.5
Almost anonymous in attack, but was called upon defensively, where he handled everything thrown at him.
10. Jurie Matthee – 7
Huge shoes to fill with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu out, but managed the game sensibly and kept the Stormers ticking over. Didn’t overplay his hand and executed his basics well. Saw plenty of runners charge down his channel, but largely fronted up. Immaculate off the tee.
9. Cobus Reinach – 7.5
Brought tempo and experience against his Springboks rival Morne van den Berg, exerting pressure behind a superior pack. Conceded the penalty in his half which the Lions eventually scored their second try from. His speed around the fringes kept defenders alert and helped maintain momentum.
1. Vernon Matongo – 6
A solid shift up front. Held his own at scrum time and put in a good defensive effort.
2. André-Hugo Venter – 7
Rock solid at the set-piece and energetic in the loose. Continues to develop nicely at this level.
3. Neethling Fouché – 8.5
Powerful in the scrum and really got the better of Kotze in his 100th Stormers performance, which, in truth, kept his side in the game in the first half. His physicality and work rate were key to the Stormers’ platform.
4. Salmaan Moerat – 6
Led from the front, with 10 tackles in 47 minutes after a first half where his side were called to defend a lot.
5. Ruben van Heerden – 6
Struggled with a kick-off, which was a common theme throughout the match. Effective at lineout time and industrious in contact. A dependable presence in the tight exchanges, topping the tackle charts with 11 tackles when he left the field after 47 minutes.
6. Paul de Villiers – 8.5
Got through a lot of work in all areas, topping his side’s carry count with 10, and contributed well at the breakdown. A steady, disciplined performance and grew into the game, scoring a try off the back of a strong maul.
7. Marcel Theunissen – 6
Struggled to impose himself physically in the first half, but didn’t shirk from the challenge before being replaced shortly after the break.
8. Evan Roos – 8
Horrendous start to the match, dropping the kick-off, and the Lions capitalised. Then his offside penalty helped the visitors extend their lead after 20 minutes. Really struggled to read his second kick-off receipt, and fluffed his lines again. Powerful and influential thereafter, with a match-leading 15 tackles. Carried hard, won collisions and provided consistent go-forward, wrestling his way over the line for a second-half try. His most crucial intervention, however, was his penalty won over the ball right in front of his posts with just minutes remaining. General play was superb, but had some costly errors.
Replacements
16. Lukhanyo Vokozela – 7
17. Ntuthuko Mchunu – 8.5
18. Sazi Sandi – 8
19. Adré Smith – 7.5
20. JD Schickerling – 8.5
21. Ben-Jason Dixon – 7.5
22. Stefan Ungerer – 7
23. Suleiman Hartzenberg – 7
Rugby’s best of the best, ranked by experts. Check out our list of the Top 100 Men's Rugby Players 2025 and let us know what you think!
